HBO Menayangkan Episode Perdana House of the Dragon Musim Ketiga

Saluran HBO dan layanan Max resmi menayangkan perdana serial drama fantasi House of the Dragon Musim 3 pada Minggu, 21 Juni 2026 malam waktu setempat, yang langsung menyajikan konflik terbuka keluarga Targaryen melalui pertempuran laut berskala besar.

Dilansir dari pdiperjuanganbali.id yang mengutip tirto.id, episode pembuka musim ketiga ini mengadaptasi novel Fire & Blood karya George R.R. Martin dengan menampilkan Battle of the Gullet antara kubu Rhaenyra Targaryen dan Aegon II.

Penayangan perdana ini mengakhiri masa jeda dua tahun yang sempat diwarnai kekecewaan sebagian penonton global terhadap akhir musim kedua yang dinilai menggantung tanpa adanya pertempuran besar menurut ulasan Metro.

"That was one of the most underwhelming finales I’ve ever watched." kata penonton global.

Kritik tajam dari para penggemar di platform digital sempat mewarnai masa jeda antar-musim serial fantasi ini.

"Coming from someone who liked the season and definitely enjoys the show: it’s still absolutely bananas that they ended on a cliffhanger. They’ve built up a lot, had some good arcs going into this place, and the next season is going to be incredibly stacked, but this wait is just an objectively bad decision for maintaining your audience," tulis akun nosayso di media sosial Reddit.

Sebagian penonton bahkan membandingkan kekecewaan tersebut dengan akhir dari serial pendahulunya, Game of Thrones.

"This season could’ve been an email," tulis akun Galahad_the_Ranger.

Sentimen serupa juga disampaikan oleh penonton lain yang enggan menyaksikan kelanjutan waralaba ini.

"Classic “Fool me once”. After I got burned by GOT, I refuse to watch any Thrones media. I am happy with my choice." tulis akun GregorianShant.

Meski diwarnai kritik selama masa jeda, respons awal pasca-pemutaran perdana global menunjukkan perubahan arah sentimen penonton menjadi sangat positif.

"Just watched the first episode of House of the Dragon s3 at the world premiere…. I’m speechless. No one is ready…" tulis akun @watchwithdiya di platform X.

Pujian terhadap kualitas visual dan intensitas cerita di episode pembuka juga berdatangan dari komunitas pengamat film.

"HOTD S03E01 is nothing like we’ve EVER seen, not just in Westeros but in television in general. In the words of the phenomenal @thegenuinetoussaint “GIRD YOUR LOINS”," tulis akun @gameofthroneshistorian di Instagram.

Menanggapi besarnya ekspektasi penonton, Showrunner House of the Dragon Ryan Condal menjelaskan bahwa tim produksi berupaya memberikan ruang dan waktu yang layak bagi pertempuran besar.

"One of the things that came into play in season two is: What is the final destination of the series and where are we going? It was a combination of factors that led us to rebalance the season knowing now where we’re going," kata Ryan Condal.

Ia menegaskan komitmen tim dalam mengalokasikan sumber daya visual untuk adegan krusial.

"We wanted to rebalance the story in such a way that we had three great seasons of television [after season one] to round out and tell this story. When you’re trying to mount the show, which requires a tremendous amount of resources, construction, armor, costumes, visual effects … we are trying to give The Gullet — which is arguably the second most anticipated action event of Fire & Blood — trying to give it the time and the space that it deserves." kata Ryan Condal.

Terkait tekanan dari para penggemar, Condal mengaku diuntungkan dengan proses kerja di London yang menjauhkannya dari kebisingan industri.

"It’s funny," kata Ryan Condal.

Ia merasa fokusnya tetap terjaga selama memproduksi serial ini di Inggris.

"You would think I’m inside of it but I actually think living in London does keep me outside of it a bit. Day to day, I don’t run into my agents or run into my other writer friends in the business because I’m out here on this island” – the United Kingdom – “making the show. So, it’s exciting but in a nice way." kata Ryan Condal.

Mengenai desakan perilisan setiap tahun, Condal menegaskan rencana produksi jangka panjang yang sudah ditetapkan sejak awal.

"No, we continued on. We had a plan from the outset and we’re not going to listen to the noise. I realize that this is a four-season show and you have to wait two years in between each chapter." kata Ryan Condal.

Ia memaparkan rumitnya proses penulisan naskah dan pembuatan efek visual naga yang memakan waktu lama.

"But ultimately this is one story we’re telling. I get the frustration. It’s a long downtime between seasons.

It just takes long to prep and shoot the show. This is after scripts are written that take a year, and then it takes seven-eight months to make dragons. So, do the math.

It’s not possible to come out every year. I’m very sorry." kata Ryan Condal.

Meski demikian, ia menjanjikan hasil yang sepadan bagi kesabaran para pemirsa.

"But you guys decided to be fans of the show called ‘House of the Dragon.’ And I think everybody’s patience and impatience, will be rewarded in a couple of weeks." kata Ryan Condal.

Condal juga memberikan gambaran mengenai atmosfer penceritaan di musim ketiga ini yang akan bergeser.

"This is a Westeros show. It’s a Shakespearean family tragedy. We’ve talked about that a lot in the beginning." kata Ryan Condal.

Skala konflik yang meningkat digambarkan akan membawa suasana pertarungan menjadi lebih suram.

"The mood of the show probably changes a little bit in S3 as things get darker and a bit bleaker." kata Ryan Condal.

Berdasarkan laporan dari theringer.com, pemotongan jumlah episode pada Musim 2 dari sepuluh menjadi delapan episode memicu spekulasi sebagai langkah penghematan anggaran, meskipun secara resmi disebut karena alasan alur cerita.

Akibat pemotongan tersebut, pertempuran Battle of the Gullet digeser ke Musim 3, yang mana Rhaenyra melewatkan pertempuran tersebut karena dikunci di kamarnya oleh sang anak.

Menurut lansiran mashable.com, peta kekuatan klan Targaryen mengalami pergeseran setelah kematian Princess Rhaenys di kubu Hitam dan Jaehaerys di kubu Hijau pada musim sebelumnya.

Dilansir dari usatoday.com, House of the Dragon Musim 3 diproduksi sebanyak delapan episode yang tayang mingguan setiap hari Minggu hingga episode final pada 9 Agustus 2026.